


[G]enesis

by AikaKyomi



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game), Nier Gestalt | Nier
Genre: Basically a little backstory on my two favorite androids, Gen, Pre!Gestalt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 05:23:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14948360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AikaKyomi/pseuds/AikaKyomi
Summary: Humanity's on the brink of destruction, and only one alternative remains: the Gestalt Project. Separating body from soul to allow human to survive the terrible events destroying their world. Yet, not only is this a complicated task, but humanity has to make sure the project doesn't fail. That it persist trough decades, hundreds of years if needed.Thus, two androids were born. Twin models, so they could share the burden of humanity together.Their names are Devola and Popola. And while this is merely the beginning, a somber future awaits them.





	[G]enesis

**Author's Note:**

> This is the unofficial backstory to Devola and Popola. This obviously isn't canon in any way, simply an headcanon I've had for a while.

"Good morning, Devola." 

As the voice reached into my ears, I felt my eyes being propelled open brutally. I wasn't given a choice to wake up or not, thus giving me no ample time to let the event sink in. I groaned internally, although maintaining the usual facade through my face and body expression.

I gazed forward, my somewhat blurry sight discerning the presence of the group of scientists, at least 30 of them, all glancing at me. My knowledge of human feelings and reactions wasn't fully downloaded into my mind yet, but something inside of me told me that any human being in my place, in front of all those people, would probably have felt uneasy, maybe even embarrassed. 

"How are you feeling today, Devola?" I turned my head toward the woman speaking, the tight, blonde ponytail on the top of her head and her cheery smile making her look like a child. She held up a small notepad into her hands, looking in my direction.

"Good." I stated. I could've said that the large pliers descending from the ceiling, which was holding me up by the back at least a meter over the ground, was slightly uncomfortable, or I could've simply mentioned that I felt bored out of my mind, but I chose to keep my mouth shut tight. Complaints weren't programmed in my base core: showing that I was indeed able to use such things would just earn me a ticket straight back to the factory.  
"Great then. We'll just start with the basic routine, as usual."  
"Understood."

Giving me a last glance, she stepped away as another scientist, a tall, serious-looking man, stepped up near a console harboring a few hundreds of buttons. He pressed few of them, entered a code, and I felt my body being lowered down as my feet collided with the cold ground, making me shiver slightly. 

"How's your sight?" the woman asked.  
I looked around slowly. "A bit blurry."  
"Reducing visual efficiency by 0.5%." the male scientist announced. "How is it now?"  
Realizing I was able to correctly see the scientists' visual expression, I smiled softly to myself. "It's good." I declared, and the man nodded.  
"What about your hearing? Do you pick up weird noises or ringing?"  
"No."  
"Alright, auditory efficiency, checked. Now, can you slightly move your head?"

I obeyed, performing a few head movements, yet I grumbled to myself. The routine was taking forever, as usual. I was hurried to do something else, but I knew I couldn't get around it. 

"Perfect." the man stated. "Now your arms."

I lifted my left arm slowly, holding it up still over my head before bringing up the other one. As I lowered them, the scientist continued to blurt out the procedure. "Take a few steps now."

Nodding, I softly laid down my right foot against the ground, which had gone warmer now that I'd gotten used to it. Walking around, carefully not to step off my designated platform, I smiled to myself: walking was something I absolutely loved. 

"Limbic efficiency, checked as well. Everything seems to be alright today, as usual."  
"We'll slightly cut our routine today." the woman scientist announced, making me raise my head towards her in confusion. "There's something special on the schedule."  
"Special?" I asked her, and she nodded.  
"The administration has taken a few decisions in regards to the Gestalt Project, to which we'll apply some changes. This very much concerns you, Devola."

My eyes widened in disbelief: the days I was being activated for live work and testing were usually only to make sure my programming was apt for the given future tasks. It had been consistent for the past few years, so why apply some changes now?

"What is it about?" I dared to ask, causing the woman to lift up her head towards me, squinting her eyes.

I probably shouldn't have asked her, I realized. Androids had been conceived for multiple reasons, but especially for that: they couldn't reply or retort, only obey. At least that's how it was supposed to be in theory. 

I was about to apologize when the woman smiled softly, probably brushing off her surprise as simple curiosity from my programming. "We'll have you meet our other project in current development." She grinned slightly. "I'm sure you would have a ton of questions to ask, but let's wait a bit for that shall we? You should simply meet her first."

I nodded, despite the questions marks floating around in my head. Who was this her? A scientist? Couldn't be, the woman said this was about their new project. Another android then? More likely, but then again, how was it necessary for me to meet this android? Why was it important enough to cut off the usual maintenance routine?

"Are you okay to walk a bit?" she inquired, looking at me. "We'll bring you to another room for the procedure."  
I nodded, understanding. "Of course." I smiled to myself, glad to be allowed to walk around freely again. Gosh, it had been so long since the last time...

A few of the scientists began to gather some stuff around them, such as notepads or pencils, but most of them remained eyes glued to their respective monitors, barely discerning my presence as I jumped down the pedestal, before crossing the room, a few technicians by my side. The blonde woman, a few feet in front of me, suddenly turned her head in my direction with her usual joyful smile.

"This whole thing may come off as a surprise to you." she declared, her voice on the verge of a whisper. "I'm sorry we had to announce it to you so bluntly, but I fear we're running out of time. It's a luxury we can't afford from now on."

I was slightly taken aback: no one had ever apologized to me before. The fact that I wasn't human, that I wasn't like them, seemed to always have been a wall, unbreakable by the laws of ethics and nature, thus cutting me off from their basic decency. Yet, deep down, I did not feel like a separate entity at all. Maybe was it simply because of my programming, which was designed to make me look and act like a human at all times, but I felt alive. Despite knowing my true nature, my origins, the future I'd be given, I still felt human. More than ever.

Cutting myself from my wondering thoughts, I smiled softly to the woman. "No need for apologies." I stated. "I understand the hurry."  
She smirked lightly. "You seem like a very special model." Her giggles echoed into my ears. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were to develop free thoughts soon enough."

I grinned to myself. Oh, if only she knew.

Everyone eventually stopped roughly, almost making me trip on the technician walking in front of me. Few of them stepped aside, thus creating a corridor between me and the door in front. Metallic, threatening, it looked a lot like, if not exactly the same as the door to the lab room I lived in. I gulped down as a security guard approached it, unlocking the entrance with the key card in his hand. 

I was absolutely right: this was the exact same room layout I was accustomed to. The monitors, the giant screen and the consoles with hundreds of buttons, everything here screamed the same vibe I had while being confined in my own room. I wasn't quite able to grasp if that was making me at ease or terrified. Goddamn emotions.

Yet as I brought up my eyes, gazing around the area, I stopped on the only thing unfamiliar. There, on the pedestal, held up the ground by the giant machine descending from the ceiling, was not me. It looked like me however: same posture, same body structure, same hair color. Solely her haircut was altered, as the hair was straightened and smooth, flowing down her shoulders softly. She was asleep, seemingly not activated yet. It felt as if I gazed in a mirror, yet I couldn't recognize my reflection. It was a stranger's instead. 

Who was this?

I turned to the female scientist behind me, yet she opened her mouth before I could pronounce a word. "Devola, this is Popola, your twin sister."

Twin sister? What kind of joke was that? What did I need a sister for?

"The administration has concluded that watching over humanity's future was too much of a task for a sole person." she continued. "The weight of it all is too much for one soul."  
"But," I argued, frowning in confusion. "I don't have a soul."  
She giggled softly. "What makes you think that?"

I simply nodded to myself, unable to formulate an answer. Maybe she was right, yet it was something too complicated for a simple answer. Nothing was as simple, really. 

"Her production began slightly after yours. She's ready to be activated now."  
"Why did you bring me here?"I asked her. I was more confused than ever now.  
"We agreed that it is best if you're the first thing she gazes upon as she wakes up for the first time."

She smiled once again, shaking her head as she stepped back to engage a conversation with another scientist. 

I heard the technicians launching their start up procedure, but I was already drowned in my own thoughts, indifferent to my surroundings. Before, I had a lot of time to really think about the future. I've known about it for a long time, yet I had issue letting it sink into my mind. Everything that was asked of me, it would be lying to say I didn't felt some pressure regarding what would happen if I failed. I was created to hold the fate of humanity in the palms of my hands, yet it never felt like I'd actually be able to do it.

But now, maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe having a sister at my side would allow me to share the burden, to avoid cracking up under the pressure. It surely didn't mean that the future would be easier to live with, nor would it be something that I'll enjoy. No, certainly not, but at least it held the possibility of being sustainable now. 

I stepped onto the pedestal in front of me, leveling myself up to stand in front of her. She was held slightly over me, but I could see her face perfectly. She looked so soft, so peaceful. I hoped she was having a nice sleep: once she would wake up, she would learn of the terrible future awaiting her. I almost wished she'd remained sleeping, away from all the atrocious things about to happen. A protective instinct, maybe. Perhaps this was how having a sister felt like?

Suddenly, her eyes open, slowly. She calmly awakened, confused, until her gaze focused in my direction. Her soft blue eyes stared back into mine, and unknowingly to myself, I smiled. 

"Good Morning Popola. Slept well?"


End file.
